Report: Forest 0-2 Spurs

Friendlies

Fredi Kanoute returned to action with a goal as we toppled Nottingham Forest at the City Ground on Saturday.

The striker's pre-season preparations had been hit by a virus but he took just 38 minutes to register in his first friendly action of the summer.

Kanoute, who played World Cup qualifiers for Mali all the way into July, was soon back in the old routine with Jermain Defoe and that combination opened up the Forest defence for the first goal.

With Kanoute back, Defoe inevitably on target as well - a no-doubts penalty in the second half - Jamie Redknapp completing 70 minutes, trialist Dagui Bakari making an immediate impact and no injuries, it was a happier Spurs camp at Forest than at Ibrox just three days earlier.

It might have been a different story had Kasey Keller not been on his toes as Forest came out firing.

He saved magnificently twice from Johnson in the opening exchanges with the second stop, a reaction block from six yards, right out of the top drawer.

Forest had an even better chance after 24 minutes as James somehow failed to divert Reid's low cross home from barely a yard.

But we got stronger and stronger and opened the scoring after 38 minutes. After good possession, Kanoute played a one-two with Defoe and finished with some aplomb.

The second didn't quite match the first as, again, substitutions made the action somewhat stop-start.

The home side didn't carry the same threat and we were on top. Sean Davis clattered the woodwork after 55 minutes and four minutes later it was 2-0, thanks in no little way to Bakari.

The trialist from Lens, a big, powerful six-foot-plus striker, proved too strong for Hjelde who could only bundle him over in the box - Defoe made no mistake from the spot.

Fellow trialist Edson Rolando Silva Sousa from PSV came off the bench late on and provided one of few late moments of action, a low shot that Gerrard saved to his right.